The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-12

OF agony beaded his brow. He ala
most made an inhammatory remark
as he gave up the struggle. and carried.
the triumphant umbrella in his hand.
What walk he had over that mar
row plank that was laid across the
trestle work with water blinking wick
edly mt him from below, and tine UNI.
brella doing its best to trip him upl,
Finally he shut his eyes and walked
by faith.
Once over, they went down the in.l
clined plane that led to the steamer.
There it lay. a new, brightly painted
little boat. The captain was big,
red-faced, brawny man, who had
habit oil ornamenting his conversation
with picturesque explosives.
Mr.. Benson experienced shock OF
no mean order when he found this
same captain looked on him as a be-
ing to be regarded with contempt and
pity for having been born a yankee"
The encounter with the umbrella
and the trestle work walk had left
Benson rather limp, and he retired
soon after supper. The boat did not
leave the landing till the next morning,
and Mr.. Benson was up in time to eat
an early breakfast.
He found "the powers that be" on
that boat were the cook and u red
Irish setter. The dog lay in state,
with all mankind to step over him, or
spent himself in marks of derision and
wrath OF low degree that might be Wis.
ible at the several landings by the
way.
So they journeyed, past cypress
swamps, where the hoary trees had
wade0 out in the water beyond the
shore. There they stood, gnarled and
knotty, clothed in mantles of gray
moss that swayed mournfully in the
wind. Sometimes there was a group
ofevergreen trees, bright, wildly green.
Then dash OF glowing scarlet, where
"black jack" oak stood in it's au.
tumnal foliage.
Everywhere was the yellow jassa-
mine
1.-THE darling of the springtime."
In one place they saw 1t covering
grove Of low-lying scrub, making it a
mass OF dewy, perfumed bells, that
loaded the whole air with the rich, de-
licious odor, over which the wild bees
lowered,
"Droning lazily on heavy wing"
Golden and purple butterflies hutter-
ed above it, while, most beautiful OF
all, ruby-throated humming bird
dashed in and out among the bloom
ing fragrance, like n living jewel.
Il ,.,,l IL ,,,l,n hA he
stopped at "Ryless Ferry" They
ran close in to the shore, under a ven
cradle cypress, a veritable King Lear
among trees. He dropped his messy
locks over the guards so close that
they came against the cabin windows.
A solemn old owl sat on blasted
| limb near the top, waiting for his love,
the night. The negro deck went
on shore and built pine-wood fire
and grouped themselves around it.
What a hush came with the night;
n dark, mysterious silence brood
ing along the shoresl 1t was as
though some dumb spirit was waiting
for the spell OF silence to be broken.
Then what cry would rise-a cry OF
regret, n cry OF dispair, for something
that could never be. The songs OF
the negroes rose with that wild, wall
ing, mournful cadence peculiar to the
melodies OF the races that have been
long in bondage. as a protest that has
gone up to high heaven through all
the ages.
when the gineral roll is called,
uuavers an old gray headed negro
"I'll be dar, I'll be dar,"
chant the others in a kind of refrain
The flames shoot up, making eerie
shadows among the ghosts oil cypress
trees standing in their shrouds. 1t is
all so wierd. so unreal, so uncanny,
that Mr.. Benson feels his nerves
shaken. He goes to his cabin and to
bed. How long he had been asleep
! lac did not know. lie was awakened
| by hearing woman scream. A late
moon had risen, and was sending a
stream oil light through the window.
He heard voices, and then footsteps.
Dressing hastily. he went out on the
guards. The moon was Just above
the horizon, the daylight was not far
of. The fire the deck hands had built
on shore had gone out, save a few
smouldering embers. The owl was
fitted to n tree further up the bank
where his "te.whitt, to-whool whool
WHO'D" was echoed by another in the
distance. On the bank was a group
made up of several men and two
women. One OF the latter was
struggling with the men and seemed
to be trying to throw herself into the
water. The other was talking to her
i'm "A soft. drawing voice. IL took